Pockets brimming with wealth and having acquired mastery in using the spear, Sylvester was content with his extended voyage towards the south. After refining his skills and supervising the indoctrination and mining operations for both diamond and iron, several more weeks elapsed.
Sylvester had placed a substantial order for fifteen tons of processed iron. It was indeed an enormous demand, but he desired to maintain it in reserve for the future. He was gradually preparing for the inevitable, and if the situation necessitated raising an army, he aspired to be self-reliant without depending on external aid.
In addition, Sylvester had notified the Viscount and his spouse regarding the participation of their daughters-in-law in certain activities. It was vital that they be dealt with, so one day, they simply disappeared.
Sylvester had no clue what had occurred to them. All he knew was that they were neither dead nor subjected to any harm or slavery. Therefore, he did not probe too deeply and focused on rehabilitating and re-educating the two men.
Finally, the graduation ceremony arrived, and the Viscount and his wife eagerly awaited outside the castle's verdant gardens, anticipating the appearance of their reformed sons. It was a pleasant day, with the clouds providing some shade in the sky, making it not too hot. Since winter was also approaching, the temperature had started to decline.
Soon Sylvester arrived in a stagecoach.
"Good morning, my Lord and Lady," he greeted them as he walked over to them and stood by their side.
After that, the doors of the stagecoach opened, and two figures emerged. The first person to disembark was the second son, Phil. Unlike before, Phil now looked tall and physically fit, with an attractive face flaunting his impeccable jawline and stubble beard. His black hair was trimmed, and his attire was very formal, as if he had prepared for an official event.
"Father, Mother…" Phil embraced his parents one after the other. "I apologize for my conduct all these years. I vow in the name of Solis that such days will never recur."
Viscount had a look of disbelief. "I-Is this really my son? He had never talked so respectfully before or shown respect to Solis."
Sylvester chuckled and let the eldest son, Mike, present himself. Although Mike was slightly shorter than Phil, he still had a fit and immaculate physique. His brown hair confirmed that he was his mother's offspring, and his black eyes were similar to the Viscount's.
He, too, embraced the two and planted a kiss on their foreheads. "Mother, Father... You need not concern yourselves with the Viscounty any longer. Phil and I may be inexperienced, but we are now committed to learning everything we can from father."
The Viscount's jaw dropped. He had not anticipated such a transformation. At most, he had hoped his offspring would cease being foolish and take an interest in their duties. But here, he witnessed them metamorphosing into entirely different people.
Your grace! How?" the Viscount inquired from Sylvester.
"May the Holy Light enlighten us." Sylvester blurted, to which the two sons also lowered their heads and repeated the same chant.
"I didn't do anything other than show them the true enlightened path to Solis, my lord." Sylvester made things up on the spot. "They had been led astray. Their hearts harbored too many worldly vices. I purified them and revealed the light. Now they have the path; all they need to do is fight," Sylvester responded like a sage.
Then, suddenly, to silence them all, he lifted his palm and emanated light upon them, accompanied by a hymn and a halo.
♫Solis is among us, everywhere, and all around.
Aim for the sky, but keep yourself on the ground.
When in fear, close your eyes and hear the sound.
Sometimes, even the silence can be so profound.♫
♫All are equal, for the lord made us the same.
To fall for the vices and hate, it's the devil's game.
So find peace, love, and calm. Come and proclaim.
Solis, Lord, God — It's in the hymn, in his name.♫
Sylvester concluded his hymn, and the Viscount, his spouse, and their son responded by bowing their heads toward him. This was the first time they had seen him with the famed halo, so they felt particularly blessed.
"Viscount Gordan, I regret to inform you that the hour has arrived for me to proceed with my journey. However, before heading to the Holy Land, I must visit King Highland," Sylvester declared his decision to depart. "We shall leave tomorrow morning."
The Viscount had no cause or means to detain him any longer. "I understand that the realm requires your blessing, so I cannot keep you occupied here for too long, your grace. I shall direct some of my soldiers to escort you to the castle."
This time, Sylvester did not refuse, for a guarded escort entailed fewer problems on the road and swifter passage through the various checkpoints of other nobles.
With that, Sylvester's time in the Mineworth Viscounty concluded. At first, he had hoped to accomplish much, such as making the mines significantly more productive and introducing superior forging techniques. However, he restrained himself since he did not get to make the Sorrow Kingdom his base. Moreover, he felt that introducing improved technology there might aid his adversaries when the final contest for the throne commences.
With a heavy heart, he packed his luggage that night. But, to his astonishment, a visitor arrived urgently to meet him that night.
Sylvester, accompanied by Sir Dolorem, departed in the middle of the night and found Lord Einarr from the Sorrow Kingdom waiting for him in an inn. He had come along with his daughter.
"What happened, Lord Einarr? I hope no one has attacked the Sorrow Kingdom this time," Sylvester inquired as he took a seat at the table.
Einarr looked much improved, thanks to the newfound joy of being reunited with his family. He saluted Sylvester in the manner of the church and spoke.
"Your Grace, the kingdom is secure, and everything is proceeding well. But I am afraid I have a bad message for the Holy Land. I have investigated and discovered that the Anti-Light has extended its reach too far in the Sorrow Kingdom. They have been assisting people and gradually making them accept their ways," Einarr revealed.
Sylvester acted shocked. He had to since he had never publicly revealed to any what he had seen already. The fact that the Anti-Light's people had appeared during the peasant army march was enough proof for him.
Einarr continued. "I do not know how to confront this, your grace. But I only wish to assure you that I am not one of them."
'If he felt like coming here just to tell me this, then it means the roots of Anti-Light have spread too far and too much. But this is the result of the Church's ignorant policies towards the Sorrow Kingdom. People in misery latch onto the closest hand that is willing to help them. This time it was Anti-Light.'
"I shall relay your message to His Holiness, my lord. As for the Anti-Light, they are pagans who serve the darkness. When it comes to the conflict between darkness and light, the light always prevails as long as our hearts are in the right place. Have faith in yourself, Lord Einarr." Sylvester had nothing better to say. He was not high enough in authority to make any decisions about how to deal with the Anti-Light. It was, for the moment, the headache of the current Pope.
"Thank you, your grace. I wished to make it clear, knowing how much dislike the Holy Land holds for the Anti-Light. Furthermore, I wished to bid you farewell since I am uncertain when we will meet again." Einarr reached out his hand to shake Sylvester's. "It has been a great honor to meet you."
Sylvester shook his hand. "Thank you for choosing light over darkness, my lord. I had the opportunity to witness the power of time with you. I truly hope there are no other individuals like you out there."
Einarr chuckled. "Oh, I am confident there are, my lord. East Sol pales in comparison to the West. Masan alone has a greater populace than all four of our kingdoms combined on this side. Then there is also the Warsong Kingdom in the West?"
"Let the poor man live, my lord." Sylvester japed and got up to leave. "I'm leaving for Sand City tomorrow morning, so I should go and prepare."
"Sir Dolorem, let's go." Sylvester headed towards the exit.
But then he stopped as he noticed Sir Dolorem being slightly delayed. He glanced back and witnessed a strange sight. Einarr's daughter, Hilda, and Sir Dolorem were locked in each other's gazes, seemingly oblivious to the world around them.
"Sir Dolorem?" Sylvester raised his voice a bit.
"Ah...Yes, let us proceed, Lord Bard." The veteran inquisitor shook his head and hurried over to Sylvester. "Let us not waste any more time."
Sylvester refrained from discussing what he had just witnessed and stepped outside of the inn. Given that a grand wizard was nearby, he decided to wait until they reached the castle gates before speaking up.
"What was that, Sir Dolorem?" he inquired. "I have never seen you act in such a manner before."
Somewhat ashamed, Sir Dolorem averted his gaze. "It was nothing, Lord Bard. Just a fleeting moment of infatuation. We endured many hardships together during my mission to rescue her and bring her to you."
"Are you certain you don't want to explore those emotions further? They appear to be reciprocated," Sylvester pressed.
Shaking his head, Sir Dolorem continued on towards the castle. "That would be a betrayal to the memory of my late wife and son, Lord Bard."
Sylvester rubbed his chin and recalled something crucial.
"Ah! Sir Dolorem, we have a change of plans. We will be heading to Foxholm town first. I promised you vengeance, and now is the time to exact it."
"But you have an important meeting with the rebel slave and King Conrad in Sand City, Lord Bard," Sir Dolorem reminded him.
Sylvester shrugged and pressed forward. He desired to help the man move on from his tragic past. After all, who better than him could comprehend the agony of being trapped in the despair of sorrow?
"That can wait, old friend. But, first, we burn some heathens."
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